Efforts have been underway for some time to eradicate sexist language, including reducing sexism in areas such as advertising and toys. Is the same effort being made in the children's costume sector? In other words, has the range of options broadened beyond princess or ballerina costumes for girls and superhero, police officer, or athlete costumes for boys? For psychologist Elena Crespi, the answer is a resounding "no." She points out that although a new self-regulation code came into effect three years ago, aiming to prevent catalogs and advertisements from linking a type of toy to a specific gender, "wherever we're going, we still see that in firefighter and police officer figures and toys, boys continue to be the protagonists of images typically associated with girls." The only change, he adds, is that if there is, for example, a police costume in which we can see a girl as a model, the dress automatically changes to sexualize that child with tighter trousers or a skirt, a shirt that opens more or a shorter t-shirt."

The members of the historic Colla La Bota de Tarragona, a group that participates annually in the Carnival parade, have made an unprecedented decision and opted to reverse course and modify the theme they had planned for their performance through the city streets during the upcoming Carnival, as reported by the newspaper ARA. Under the name "Death Adventure," Colla La Bota—along with the comparsa Divax—intended to denounce what they perceive as the "decline" of PortAventura and highlight the labor issues they have raised against the park's workers. Throughout 2025, the unions organized several days of strikes to demand a new collective bargaining agreement, which garnered such significant support that they led to the suspension of ticket sales at the park. Ultimately, however, the theme for the two satirical groups during Carnival will be different.

This March 5th marks one of the most important dates in the liturgical calendar: Ash Wednesday. After a week of partying and debauchery to celebrate Carnival, the festivities end, and during this day the burial of the sardine takes place. It is also the first day of Lent, the 40-day period preceding Holy Week. But what exactly do we celebrate on Ash Wednesday and why is it called that?

Tragic night on Catalan roads. According to the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT), this past Carnival night there have been five traffic accidents on Catalan roads that have caused the death of six people. "They are all very dramatic accidents, among the victims and the injured there are many young people under 35 years of age," lamented the director of the Catalan Traffic Service, Ramon Lamiel, who has shown "maximum concern" about the increase in young victims.

Carnival weekend is very complicated for those who want to travel by train and, above all, for those who want to celebrate tonight's party in the south of Catalonia. After announcing that this weekend There would be no trains arriving at Sant Vicenç de Calders station due to renovation works in the area, This morning, the Cercanías railway company has reported that, since early in the morning, the R2 Sur and R4 lines have been experiencing widespread delays and altered frequencies due to a situation of "labour conflict" with the drivers' union.

Yes, today begins the month that kills the old woman at the edge of the fire and the young woman if she can… It is the saying that everyone knows or perhaps knew. Because now everything is different. Words and sayings are lost as so many other things are lost. What is not lost is the merriment and, therefore, the Carnival is still very much alive. People dress up as what they are not or what they would like to be. Streets and floats are made in the image and likeness of other places and other countries. Above all, the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro is imitated and its translations are nostrades, Sitges, Vilanova… Now my town, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, is boiling with emotion and nerves. Since Christmas people have been rehearsing choreographies and the last kicks have been given to the costumes. And who says kicks, says brushstrokes of glue, because, who is there still sewing? The Carnival groups are almost ready. There are those who take a holiday because they have to drive a float, there are those who take it because they have to play music in their gang… The merrymaking, the drinking, the debauchery begins. It should not last long, because next Wednesday begins Holy Lent. It is Ash Wednesday and Christians will go to the parish to have the imprint of ashes made on their foreheads (pulvis eris et in pulverem reversed, you are dust and dust you will return to) and the forty days of penitence will begin that will last until Easter. The Thursday before this Ash Wednesday is or was Fat Thursday. One had to take advantage of the fact that one could still eat pork, and on the table appeared the sausage omelettes, the egg sausage and the fat cakes. Now who celebrates it? And if someone does, it is a mere residual celebration, cultural, traditional, let's say what we want, but without any sense. Because all year round we eat whatever we want! Be it Thursday or Friday.

When masks take over Venice, oranges fly over Ivrea and grotesque characters invade the old town of Basel, it can only mean one thing: Carnival has arrived in Europe! These are days of debauchery, freedom and centuries-old traditions that fill squares and streets with music, costumes and partying. If you think the best Carnival is the one in Rio, perhaps you haven't yet heard of these ten European Carnivals that combine history, fun and lots and lots of debauchery. You'll discover that they have nothing to envy of the famous Brazilian Carnival and that they exude more folklore and fewer feathers.